A Crafty Little Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Kid Crafts’

So, a couple months ago, the school sent out a notice that they were planning on doing *Clubs and Activities* the second half of the term, and needed parent/grandparent/friend/whanau volunteers to help make this possible. It involved one hour on each Friday afternoon for four weeks.

KJ9, the other resident crafter in the house, was beside herself. She already had it set out that I had to volunteer to do cooking for the first two week session, and knitting for the second two week session. I don’t do enough at the school, so figured it was a good chance to take part. As it turns out, I was allocated knitting for all four weeks, which didn’t make KJ9 very happy, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. At least that meant only figuring out one project, instead of two.

Most first time knitters usually start with something simple, like a scarf. Scarves are great, but they go on and on, and it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And most seven/eight/nine year olds I know, won’t sit still long enough to cast on, let alone knit a whole scarf.

So, I decided they would knit Tooth Fairy Pouches. It’s something small, able to be completed in a small amount of time, and applicable to the age group. Here is the demo I knit up so the children could see what their knitting would look like when finished.

Each student got a packet, that included basic knitting instructions, a pair of child sized 4mm knitting needles, pattern instructions, yarn and a button.

The pattern is very basic, but perfect for small children, who need to be encouraged by results. I had the younger children the first two weeks, including KM7, and the older group the last two weeks, with KJ9. Of the 11 children total who were in my groups, six of the children were able to finish their projects in the second week. (I did cast on and knit the first ten rows for them, so they had a good start to begin with). What great results.

I can’t show you pictures of the other children from the school, but here is one of the girls, holding their finished Tooth Fairy Pouches, along with the Thank you card that all the children in my two groups signed.

And you can’t see it, but KM7 finished that pouch just in time, as she lost one of her front teeth last week. Perfect!

So here is the simple pattern I used, in case you feel like getting in touch with the knitting teacher inside yourself.

Knitted Tooth Fairy Pouch

Cast on 10 stitches.

Knit 40 rows in Garter Stitch (Knit every row)

Cast off.

Fold your work in half, and sew up both sides, leaving an opening in the top.

Add a plaited/braided or crocheted loop to one side of the opening.

Sew button on the front of the pouch, so that the loop can can hold the pouch closed.

Insert tooth when needed and place under your pillow.

EDITTED:

Here is the direct download for a printer friendly version of the pattern. Just fold it in half, and it leaves space for notes etc for the child.

Have been uber busy this week. Kids are on school holidays, so we’ve been crafting and cooking and cleaning in addition to lounging around with icky winter colds. Kiri made her first cookies this week — Snickerdoodles!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-3/4 cups standard flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400F/205C. Mix flour, cream of tartar, basking soda and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar and add vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Stir in dry ingredients. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.

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Kids have been doing crafts and making bags. Will take more pics when the bags are finished. Kali decided after 15 minutes of stitching that she was tired, so it might be awhile.

I’ve been working hard to get my craft room into some sort of order. it’s always the last room in the house to be on the receiving end of the tidying energy. That would be because it is the most cluttered, over stuffed, pack-rat room EVER! The man saves miscellaneous screws and washers. I save fabric, yarn, buttons and paper. At least the room is finally in usable condition.

Yes, it’s still cluttered, but it’s a start. At least the floor is clear for the first time since we moved in!

And in the middle of tidying, my friend Jayce surprised me with what she called sustenance. Indeed!!!!

OK OK, there were nine cupcakes, but one didn’t make it into the picture. Can you blame me?

The book, Swings and Roundabouts, is a collection of poems about parenthood. Jayce said she thought of me as soon as she saw it. What a lovely thought! Thanks Jayce for making my night!